our people
Our people are language professionals, with many years of in-house and market experience.
Translators
John Gleaves (partner)
John joined bmp in 1998 after gaining his translation spurs as a staff translator for leading companies in the German automotive and Swiss pharmaceutical industries. This experience has given him an in-depth understanding of the language service needs of corporate customers and the environment in which those customers operate. John, who hails from the north of England, has a degree in languages and marketing. John Purnell (partner)
John joined bmp in 1990 after working for several years as a staff translator in the banking and pharmaceutical industries. Quality and attention to detail are of the utmost importance in the translation world, and he is committed to delivering the high-quality translations that Swiss business clients expect. Born and raised in southern England, he holds a degree in French, German and economic history and a diploma in translation. Astrid Schmidlin (partner)
Astrid joined bmp as the company's first German translator in 2003. She worked first as a freelance translator and later as a staff translator, primarily in the banking and IT sectors, in her home town Basel. As the head of language services of a large Swiss firm, she got to know bmp as a professional, flexible and reliable provider of high-quality translations. She has a translation degree from the University of Geneva (ETI). Paul Smith (partner)
In 1994, after a ten-year spell as a staff translator, first with a major chemical company and then with a big Swiss bank, Paul welcomed the opportunity to join bmp. He was well prepared to meet the demands of bmp's growing clientele in its core fields, especially finance and banking. Raised in London, he holds a degree in German. Susan Worthington (partner)
Susan has lived, studied and worked on both sides of the Atlantic. After several years as an in-house translator at a big Swiss bank, she came to bmp in 1997 where she enjoys the variety, flexibility and personal approach the company takes to translation. After earning her first degree in German and French, she qualified as a translator in German and Italian.Philip Atkinson
Philip joined BMP's English translator team in November 2007. After graduating with a degree in French and German from the University of Nottingham he went on to complete a translation degree at the University of Bath in the same languages and also gained some experience in translating from Dutch. He enjoys communicating in any language and is keen to deal with the variety of work from BMP's many customers. Louise Berry
Louise joined BMP in February 2008. After graduating with a degree in French and German from the University of Warwick, she spent five years working in Adelboden, in the Swiss Alps. She completed a Masters degree in Translating in the UK and worked as an in-house translator in England, but her dream was always to return to Switzerland and she is delighted to be back! Her translation experience and knowledge of translation programs are an ideal preparation for working at BMP.Annette Hannaford
Annette joined BMP as a translator in July 2008. After graduating with a first degree in German, French and Spanish from the University of Salford in England, including various stints abroad, she went straight to Germany where she worked as an in-house translator for two years before moving to Basel. With her knowledge of diverse customer industries and experience in translation tools, she is ideally equipped for her task at BMP. Annette is also a keen musician, and was born and raised in Birmingham, England. Catherine Lang
Administration, Logistics and IT
Nadia Bertolini
Nadia is of Italian origin but grew up bilingually in Switzerland. After high school she studied English and Italian at the University of Basel and then transferred to the School for Translation and Interpretation in Zurich. She graduated with a translation degree in German, Italian and English in 2001. With her language skills and organizational talent, Nadia is well prepared to handle a wide variety of tasks as a bmp office administrator.
Sebastian Bürgi
Sebastian has worked part-time in the administrative team at BMP Translations since April 2009. In addition to handling translation coordination tasks he performs a number of support functions for the in-house translators. Sebastian completed commercial training in a forwarding company and his vocational matura at the Basel Commercial College. He has grown up speaking both English and German.
Melanie Küng
Melanie has worked on a part-time basis in the administrative team at BMP Translations since November 2006. She handles various aspects of our translation coordination, including handling central incoming orders, preparing texts for the translators and follow-up tasks that require use of our CAT tools. She has an excellent knowledge of English, acquired partly during a one-year study period in Galway, Ireland. She completed her studies of English literature and linguistics at the University of Basel in December 2009. She enjoys analysing, interpreting and writing texts.
Carmen Lakatos
After completing her studies at a Commercial School, Carmen - a native of Basel - worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry, punctuated by a six-month stay in England. She joined the bmp team in 1996 and now works as a part-time administrator. She enjoys using her knowledge of English regularly in communicating with customers and freelance translators.
Michaela Oestmann
Michaela is experienced in dealing with the demands of a busy secretariat. Before joining bmp, she worked in the translation department at a large pharmaceutical company in Basel. She will have plenty of scope at bmp to use her language skills and organizational talent, ensuring that the interface between customers and translators functions smoothly.
Richard Papst
Richard joined bmp in October 2007 as Translation and Technology Support Coordinator. Before moving to Basel, he worked in support and project management for various multinational companies in England and Germany. Richard, who grew up in Austria and speaks fluent English and German, studied IT and Business Management at York University and is also a qualified graphic designer. With his broad spectrum of skills he is well adapted to work within an ever-changing business environment.
